Well I am finally state side and have been for just over a week now.
I hope all of you had the most fantastic Christmas and New Years!
2013 was such an incredible year for me, I am sure a lot of you know. However, I am so excited to see what 2014 has to offer.
Right now I am In Los Angeles, California staying with my little sister who lives here and just graduated from the New York Film Academy at universal studios. I am taking the month to just rest and be still somewhere for a time. As well as visit with my sister whom I hadn't seen in a year.
After the Harvest school I was headed to Thailand to co-lead a team of newly graduated Harvest Schoolers into one of the darkest places in the world!
We arrive in Bangkok, Thailand on the 12th of December. We head to our hostel and get settled into our new home for the next several weeks. In Bangkok there is an Iris base as well as a sister ministry called Nightlight. We had made plans to work with both of these ministries in our time. Bangkok is a very dark place full of sexual perversion, consumerism, and religious strongholds. And that is exactly why we went. After all God doesn't call us to be a light that shines in a place that is already lit. He calls to be a light in the darkness!
With both ministries we would be working with we were doing a lot of street an bar ministry by showing Christ's love to the woman and men working the streets and bars. Showing them they have value and beauty without it costing them something. Really just releasing God's presence and love wherever we went. Because it was Christmas time it opened up many more opportunities to show who Christ is. We got to carol in many brothels and hand out gifts to women and ladyboys that we would encounter, which was thousands.
After nearly 2 weeks in Bangkok getting more and more wrecked everyday, we decided to head 6 hours north to a village called Khon Kean. 95% of all the bar girls, ladyboys, prostitutes, and trafficked girls in Bangkok come from this village.
We were given contact info of an amazing Thai woman named Jub. She works with a ministry called The Well and runs a home for girls whose parents are either in jail or work in Bangkok as a prostitute. She also does a lot of village and local school ministry to try and raise awareness as well as keep kids in school so they have a better future. She fights everyday against the what the culture has taught these kids. That it is honorable to move to Bangkok and make money for your family and meet a western and fall in love. It has all been so highly romanticized the girls really have no clue what they are getting themselves into when it happens.
We had so much fun working with Jub and her team while living with the girls she looks after. We got to carol (we learned about 4 songs in the Thai Langauage) at many of the homes in the village (about 60), visited many schools and did a skit on the story of Christmas, visit local police stations, and governmental offices, just releasing God's love. We got to pray and prophecy over all the girls and workers in the home and witness 3 of them coming to Christ and saying yes to a life with Him.
Our time in the north was so beautiful and all though it was Cold and we slept on the floor and we spent Christmas away from our family's God gave us this new and incredible family to spend that time with as well as new friends and people who taught us a lot about love.
After a week we headed back to Bangkok. It was one of the hardest goodbyes of this year.
Back in Bangkok we had just a few days left together before we all headed our separate ways. And the end of our outreach.
Now the day before we left to go north I had decided that I would fly out of Thailand on December 30th to come to L.A. But at that point had no ticket out of the country. And to be honest no money for a ticket. So I decided to once again go for a Buddy pass. Despite my last experiences with them I trusted God and His promise to get me to L.A.
My last few nights in Bangkok I hadn't gotten much sleep.. At all.. And my flight out of Thailand was at 5am meaning I had to be at the airport at 3am meaning I had to leave for the airport at 2am. Needless to say, I was tired. I checked in at the airport and I wait. At about 4:30am I started to get nervous. But they called my name and I headed to the plane! And God had blessed me with a first class seat! I was extatic! God really knows how to take care of me. 9 hours later I landed in Japan. With a 2 hour layover I had to wait for another stand by flight. As I looked at the crowd forming to get on the plane.... I was less hopeful of actually getting on this time.... I went to the desk and the lady said the flight was full. My heart sunk to my stomach so fast I am sure the person next to me heard it. With a worried look on my face I asked her "what do I do" and she just said "wait till the end" I nervously said "okay..." But as I watched the 6 other standby passengers walk up she told them all the same thing "there is no more room!"
However, I waited. Finally, most everyone had boarded and the remaining standby passengers were standing at the desk so I decided to join. God new exactly what He was doing. There was one seat left. The two standby passengers with a higher priority than me both had travel buddies who had a priority lower than mine. And neither of the higher priority passengers wanted to go without there companion. So they both gave up there seat which left me with the first seat in first class... To L.A. from Japan! How good is our God! He always takes care of His kids. Even when our faith is being stretched. He is good. So so good.
Over all my experience in Thailand was fast and I didn't feel like I connected as much with the country itself has I have in the past with other countries. My heart did break, but not as much for the woman and ladyboys as it did for the tourists. The men and woman who come to this country looking for real love that they are willing to pay for it. It just reminded me of how broken and fatherless the world is right now. I didn't get angry at the men buying those women. My heart broke and shattered into pieces for them. To me they are the key to ending all of it. Without their business there is no business. And all they want is real love.... Which is what I carry inside of me. The person of Love lives within me. It's so simple.
Thailand made me more frustrated and hungry for God. Thailand made me realize I am not as fearless as I want to be. Thailand showed me the places in my life that need refining because if it's that's simple why am I not doing anything about it.
Sorry this one was a bit longer than I had planned. Thank you all for the support and love you show me all they time. Thank you for the prayers and financial blessings.
I pray this new year for you filled with blessing and much increase!
Love,
Rachael Michelle
